Creator Joe Benitez only illustrated the prologue for each chapter in this series, while main art duties were delegated to guest artist Brian Ching. It was an interesting change-up; it wasn't bad, just felt a little... lesser. Solid story. Lady Mechanika is flying solo, going up against vampires as she again crosses paths with La Dama de la Muerta.

An interesting story. There are four different storylines in 100 pages. While they all converged and concluded well, it felt like too much. Just when I got invested in one story, it switched to another. I don't think it would have benefitted from being longer (it told the story it wanted to), but it would have been better if it was more focused on fewer characters or connected the characters more directly.

Is the known universe 99.9999999999999999999958% empty? Or is it 0.0000000000000000000042% full?

NOT BOOK RELATED: This beautiful site maps our solar system if the moon was the size of one pixel. Sometimes humanity needs a reminder of how insignificant we are and how stupid it is to destroy the planet and your fellow humans in the name of country, religion, or money.

https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html

Litsy server issues are fixed! (Post on the Litsy Facebook group by Kate from LibraryThing)

I don't have anything special for #tuesdaytunes this week, but I had the urge to blast some Eminem this afternoon after all the patients had checked out of the clinic. It was funny hearing him railing against George W. Simpler times...

Another day, another attack on knowledge and education.

“Libraries of all types translate 0.003% of the federal budget into programs and services used in more than 1.2 billion in-person patron visits every year, and many more virtual visits.“

https://www.ala.org/news/2025/03/ala-statement-white-house-assault-institute-mus...

The groups start to arrive in Boulder and Las Vegas. New relationships form as old bonds strain. I am reminded of a bit from comedian Lee Camp: Evil people have plans. Good people don't have plans. They want to live their lives in peace and enjoy themselves. Well, the evil people here are crucifying rule breakers and gathering weapons while the good guys are trying to build a coalition by committee.
#losersclub #constantreader

Meta sued to prevent the author of a tell-all book from promoting her work. So Sarah Wynn-Williams can't go on talk shows or be interviewed about her new book Careless People, which was released March 11 and is available now whenever books are sold. What a shame that she can't get the word out about what is being called an "explosive dispatch" covering "seven critical years" at Facebook. How ever will people learn about this book now? ?

I did a mash-up of the last three #threelistthursday #tlt polls 😁 @dabbe

Best Picture:
Casablanca
In The Heat of the Night
The Silence of the Lambs

1929-1941:
The Thin Man
Top Hat
The Great Dictator

1941-1962:
Double Indemnity
The Bishop's Wife
High Noon

Work has been slow this week, so I started my re-read of Murderbot Diaries on audio this time. The narrator is solid, but I think I got more enjoyment reading the physical books. I'll finish Artificial Condition, but then I think I'll switch back to paper. Built this Hubble telescope Metal Earth model while listening to the audio this evening.

Hey folks, the world is shit, and it is okay to say it. I was listening to the World Cafe Friday, and the DJ played this song, in which she said she has found some measure of validation. It is cheeky and has a light-hearted melody, but acknowledges the garbage we are experiencing. Your feelings are valid ❤️🦅🍁

https://youtu.be/FbECS7Ie57I

#tuesdaytunes

I've been going back and listening to the audiobooks of Batman movie novelizations. Unfortunately, Batman '89 was easily the best, maybe the only good one so far. I was not a fan of the narrator here, especially his Riddler voice. There are some “deleted scenes“ that were interesting, but, maybe due to the narrator, I just wasn't too invested in listening closely and sussing out the differences.

@WildAlaskaBibliophile and I shared a homemade afternoon tea this weekend, with lavender Earl grey cookies, egg bites, scones, and chocolates from Xocolatl, raspberry green tea, and strawberry rossinis. After the food was enjoyed and the dishes cleaned, we relaxed with some reading, and started watching The Substance this evening. The rest of this week will be leftovers and take out because I'm done with the kitchen for a while 🤪

Super cute read with wonderful illustrations.

Thanks @BethM for this book from a past swap

For a book that was not on my radar at all, I thoroughly enjoyed this dark sci-fi about using memory to time travel. The concept is brilliantly executed and solidly consistent. The perspective changes are not overwhelming and the characters are easy to root for. I'm just so impressed at how readable this was, considering how easily it could have become convoluted and unnecessarily complex.

I saw @WeAreLegion review volume 1, and, while I don't love the art and I don't love the characters, the plot is so intriguing and relevant, so I decided to continue the series and read the prequel-ish volume 5. Series plot: if enough people believe in a story, it can alter reality (i.e. Bigfoot footage is originally fake, but enough people believe that Bigfoot materializes in the real world). ⬇

As you may have seen from @WildAlaskaBibliophile , we have a new cat. Sawyer came home with us last weekend from the Kenai Animal Shelter and has been acclimating quickly to his new home and canine roommate. Pictured here contemplating the purpose of my book and its effect on my hands in regards to his head being pet. #catsoflitsy

@WildAlaskaBibliophile and I enjoyed a much-needed night of laughs with Chris Kattan. Lots of fun stories from his days with SNL.

I'm really digging the song "Magnetic" from the upcoming solo debut album of Tunde Adebimpe, founding member of TV on the Radio. The single was released a few months ago, a new single just dropped yesterday, and the album comes out next month.

https://youtu.be/WWiGeU1WPW8

#tuesdaytunes

Volume 1&2 of the graphic novel adaptation of The Stand.
I'm actually impressed at how well the story is paced so far. For example, they don't waste a lot of pages on Nick's time as deputy, but they leave space for scenes like Lloyd's prison time and the Lincoln Tunnel to breathe. The artist is the same that recently underwhelmed me with heavy lines and thick shadows in The Bat-Man First Knight, and he's still not my favorite, but it happens.

I don't think I made a #bookspinbingo board for January or February 😬 But here we are for March!
#BookSpin is Chasing the Boogeyman
#DoubleBookSpin is The Empire Strikes Back From a Certain Point of View

Thanks to @thearomaofbooks for keeping things going in the middle of a move!

A bloody trans horror book that was "written in a fit of rage." Benji is a trans male who escapes a religious cult where he is injected with a virus that will transform him into a seraph that will bring about end times. He finds a teen LGBT center that accepts and protects him as he and his new friend try to survive in the post-apocalyptic world.

Very powerful symbolism. VERY bloody/gory. I can see it being an affirming book for queer teens.

A pretty average month for me. Two books were mostly read in January (The Shining and Make-Up Effects), so I read two books, three comics, and two audiobooks. I'm hoping to finish my current read this weekend 😁

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Since I read The Stand fairly recently, I'm going to read the comic adaptation for @BarkingMadRead #losersclub this month. I'm also going to try to re-read the Murderbot Diaries, or at least the first four books, before the show starts.

This was a pretty decent early adventure for Batman, in the style of the original 1939 comic debut, with increased violence, gory, and profanity, as implied by the Black Label designation. I felt the “adult“ aspects weren't really necessary, and the story seemed to struggle to fill all three issues. There were some excellent panels, but overall the art was overly dark and not very appealing.

Most of the stories in this collection were good. I found an old copy of the audio version with John Glover narrating. He was enthusiastic and talented but had a limited number of voices. Several cautionary tales about signing deals, a couple Salem's Lot stories, several rats, and more. A fun sampling of early King.

#tuesdaytunes

I've been finding comfort this week in revisiting 80s/90s country: Doug Stone, Collin Raye, Lonestar, Sawyer Brown, Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Clint Black's D'lectrified was a childhood favorite, and, listening this morning, I couldn't remember for sure whether The Galaxy Song was from Monty Python (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkkjzmuEBbo) or Animaniacs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BphgKX-DZE), and that made me smile 😊

This may have been my favorite volume yet. More tantalizing clues to Mechanika's past, but the investigation is interrupted by a personal matter.

Looks like I'll have AppleTV for at least a month or two come May (depending on the quality of the show 😋)

Fun, quirky fantasy stories with some deep and unique world building

People change
But you know some people never do
You know, when people change
They gain a peace, but they lose one too
...
As it breaks, the summer will wake
But the winter will wash what is left, of the taste
As it breaks, the summer will warm
But the winter will crave what has gone

-Future Islands “Seasons (Waiting on You)“
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upPl9mZW_zw

Do you welcome the peace gained in change, or mourn the peace that is lost?

I've read a couple Criminal stories here and there, but this will be my first proper read through, in anticipation of the upcoming TV series. Leo has a reputation of being an expert thief, but the first to hit the bricks at a sign of trouble. When someone from his past reemerges, he takes a job he knows he shouldn't, and, predictably, it doesn't go well, but modern master Brubaker keeps things interesting.

Finished this Metal Earth AT-ST model while listening to the Batman Returns novelization. Pretty disappointing. The narrator was all over the place with his voices, Max Shreck being particularly rough. There was a lot more misogyny from the Penguin in this adaptation, which was weird. Stick with the movie.

Somehow, O'Meara is able to condense a global history of alcohol into an easy-to-read book infused with plenty of her own personality. She highlights some amazing women and tells some mind-boggling stories. She also avoids the woe-is-woman tone by focusing on the empowering nature of the histories.

A few of the movies discussed in this book that features photos and interviews about the world of Hollywood effects. I devoured this; I love reading about behind-the-scenes of movies and TV, and Face Off is one of the few reality competition shows I've ever enjoyed. This profession requires so much skill and love, and, if done right, the audience won't even think about all the work involved in creating convincing characters.

It is ironic that I would come across this passage in my book today.

Trans history will not be erased. This isn't the 1800s; you can't just burn a document and pretend it never existed. Trump's administration cannot delete history and it will not define our culture. #ThisIsNotAmerica

#valloweenswap @bookish_wookish
Thank you for a most excellent swap! The book sleeve is perfect. I'm excited for the tagged book, and to return to Chuck Palahniuk after quite a few years.

Who's ready for #valloweenswap opening day tomorrow?!

Artist have come together to "illustrate" how demented and destructive Project 2025 could be.

"Our two founding documents are short because it doesn‘t take a lot of words to say 'You matter, and you have a voice.'

Project 2025 is longer because it‘s a detailed plan to shut you up, and shut you out.

Don‘t let it do either."

https://stopproject2025comic.org/

A collection of Obi-Wan stories as he reflects on his life while in exile on Tatooine. There were originally spersed throughout the original run of Marvel Star Wars comics. They are loosely connected and overall okay. Art is average, and examinations of Obi-Wan have been done better elsewhere.

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
4. Hell Followed With Us and 10. Recursion are my picks this month.

So much music news lately: the Grammys, Fire Aid concert, Super Bowl halftime. But I'm going old-school. On Alan Alda's podcast, Clear and Vivid, he recently interviewed neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin, and they spoke about using music to treat Parkinson's disease, which Alan suffers from. Scientist have been using songs with strong beats, like I've Got Rhythm, to help patients relearn how to walk!

#tuesdaytunes

I don't follow football, and I have lots of issues with the NFL as an organization, but I did watch a bit of the Superbowl to support my hometown. I also took down Christmas lights yesterday and put up these year-round LED light strips, so I set them green for the night 😁 🦅 #gridirongab

Damn, Seanan, the ending on this one was just brutal! Brilliant, vivid world building, as always. Follows the resent trend of dropping major hints about the doors 🚪 but still not giving any details. What is your game here, Seanan?!

Quite fitting that as I finished reading The Shining, the band Murder By Death announced that they would be more or less ending the band. My younger brother introduced me to them, and we saw several shows together in Philly. The band held an annual show at the Stanley Hotel, the filming location for the Overlook Hotel in the Shining movie. They never broke big, but they made reliably solid records of gothic Americana.

https://youtu.be/r0uPjg63XmQ

King famously disliked the film adaptation of The Shining. Having seen the movie several times, I guess I can see his dissatisfaction, but I think Kubrick did a good job. The book is different enough that I got well caught up in the suspense. Very good #constantreader #losersclub

Bruce goes on a spirit quest to commune with his parents while a daughter of Ra's Al Ghul seeks revenge on her father. Overall, just okay, but there is some great art and some interesting scenes that elevate it to a pick.

Finally bought a set from Cliche tea, a local Alaskan business that offers teas themed on literary cliches. I am trying Magical Powers today, an herbal lemon tea with a gorgeous blue color from butterfly pea. I'm excited to dig into the rest of this set. There is also a romance set, archetypes, and one for writers ☺️

@WildAlaskaBibliophile and I were watching a YouTube video about forgotten 90s hits. This song came on, and I immediately flashed back to Cornwell's Roller Rink in Bensalem, PA! Do you have a favorite roller rink jam?

https://open.spotify.com/track/3zg4stPJlbNSBPA8HJzLZA?si=dnKNc-kISZuczn-SnDDDBg

Another classic 😉 https://youtu.be/D53M1vVF2N4

#Tuesdaytunes

My #valloweenswap gifts have shipped. Books are shipping direct from a local bookstore. Hope the folks at customs are kind to this box.